Carlo Ancelotti appeared before the press on the day before the league match against Málaga. The Italian coach analysed the game they face in La Rosaleda: “I have a lot of confidence in the professionalism, dedication and character of my players. Tomorrow's game is important, as is next Sunday's. At this point in the season all the matches are important and they are all equally important. The team trained really well and they have been well focused. We have to bring intensity and concentration to the game”.

“We are going to play with the same attitude and intensity as in the match against Levante because the players are aware that La Liga will be decided in the final match of the season. Málaga is an important game and we have to prepare very well for it against a team that has won in El Sadar and will be confident of improving”.

The Clásico
“The team is focused on this match and not thinking about anything else. Thinking about other things is not good. We have an important match and we are only thinking about putting in a good performance”.
WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE CLÁSICO AND WE ARE NOT THINKING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT OUR RIVALS ARE GOING TO LOSE
“The most important match of all is tomorrow's and I will put out the best team possible without thinking about the possibility of yellow cards and suspensions. I do not know if Di María said that, but if he did I would be surprised. I know whether or not he is going to play, but I have not told him. If he receives a card, someone else will play against Barcelona”.

His philosophy
“We have to be very careful about all the matches. There is a good philosophy and that is the story of the lion and the gazelle. The lion, when it wakes up, thinks about running because it has to eat and if it does not run it cannot eat the gazelle. The gazelle also thinks about running because otherwise the lion will eat it. It does not matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, all you have to think about tomorrow is running”.

Arbeloa's injury
“We miss his attitude, his professionalism and ability on the pitch. We have to deal with it properly, as we did with Khedira. I worked with Nacho at right-back this week, he can play anywhere in the defence. Also with Ramos, as a last resort because he has played there before”.

Isco's new position
“It is just a question of getting used to it. He has to get used to that position, which is different to where he used to play. I have spoken to him and he is happy about the comparison with Seedorf. I have also spoken with Seedorf and he is happy that they compare him to Isco. I am sure that he can do well in that position. Di María was not used to playing in that position either, although he may have done occasionally for his national team, and he is doing well”.

Jesé and his importance to the team
“I speak to him every day. He is calm and understands the situation. He has helped the team a lot and will continue to do so in the coming matches. And he does not ask for minutes. Everyone has to be ready because maybe they will only play one minute but it could be the most important of the season”.

The Barcelona-Atlético clash on the last matchday
“We have not considered that situation because our destiny is in our own hands and we have to manage the situation correctly. We have a small advantage and we have to handle the upcoming matches. We can only think about ourselves”.

PSG as a Champions League opponent
“I have a good relationship with a lot of the PSG players. For me it would be an unusual match in that sense, but it is a strong team, like all teams who reach the quarters of the Champions League”.

Bernd Schuster has conceded that his Malaga side are up against it when they face Real Madrid this evening.

The Costa del Sol outfit host Los Blancos on Saturday evening, and the German Coach has admitted that his men are facing one of the best in the world at the moment.

“We know how tough playing against Real Madrid can be,” he told a Press conference.

“They’re playing brilliantly at the moment and are extremely strong. We need to make sure we maintain stability in every line, as they’ll be pushing us back as often as possible, so we need to be ready.

“It’s crucial that Willy has a good match and we’ll try our best to impose our style of play. We’ll have to see how it starts, but I think it’ll be a great game.

“It’s a shame that we’re up against Madrid now, but it has to be done.

“The best thing is we’ve got nothing to lose, so we can be as brave as we like. I’m not a pessimistic person at all.

“If they let us, then we’ll try and focus more upfront, but we’ll need to have our wits about us the entire time.

“We’ll be looking for as many possibilities as we can against Madrid, not just in defence, but hopefully to throw a few surprises their way too.

“Real Madrid are a superior rival, but our boys are bursting with motivation, which can only be a good thing.

“The new players are really enthusiastic, as everyone likes to play against the big teams. We’re working on improving our tactics so the new boys can adapt to the team more.

“They’ve improved a great deal.”

Yohan Modric wrote:Good to get the 3 points.

Also yeh, the passing was sloppy at times. Need to practise passing under high pressure.

Giggity5313 wrote:Anymore excuses for isco?

In his post-match press conference, Ancelotti clarified his celebration following the win, before discussing his team’s performance, with which he is satisfied.

“I’m happy because it’s important to win here. It wasn’t easy. Hence, that’s why I showed so much happiness in my celebration. I didn’t look into the stands. I celebrated by looking at the sky, not the stands. Heaven called me a bastard many times and that’s why I said thanks…

“The match was very difficult because Malaga put a lot of pressure on us. We had the opportunity to score a second goal but we didn’t have bad luck. There is always suffering in a 1-0 win. It wasn’t a great game in regards to the play on the pitch but we were solid in defence and attitude. We didn’t allow a single scoring chance. The result was very good and important.

“You can’t always win 2-0 or 3-0. We worked hard and I’m happy. It wasn’t the worst game. It wasn’t spectacular but we did some good things. We miss the final pass and yet, we complete a lot of plays. We also must factor in the match Malaga played. They worked hard and played very well.”

Ancelotti spoke about the injury to Karim Benzema, who was forced to leave the game after a run-in with Cristiano Ronaldo before discussing the role of returning hero, Isco.

“Benzema has a bruised thigh and couldn’t continue.

“Isco did well as a left midfielder. He played with balance. Then he played deeper and out of position when Benzema got injured and played there without issue.”

Ancelotti concluded by stating that his team is fully prepared for next week’s El Clasico.

“We had a great attitude and we’re ready to play ‘El Clasico’.”

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